MDN — WebGPU API
MDN’s reference for the WebGPU API, ingested to give that page a first-party-grade definitional source (MDN tracks the W3C spec at gpuweb.github.io).
Citable facts
- Dual-purpose by design: WebGPU gives “first-class support for GPGPU computations” (compute pipelines) alongside render pipelines — the explicit break from WebGL, which was graphics-only.
- Device-access model:
navigator.gpu→ request a GPUAdapter (a physical GPU + driver) → request a GPUDevice (a logical, isolated/multiplexed device per app). The browser implementation sits on top of the native API (Direct3D 12, Metal, Vulkan). - WGSL is the shading language (Rust-like); shaders declare
@vertex/@fragment/ compute stages. - Secure context required — WebGPU runs only over HTTPS (or localhost).
- Compatibility mode (
featureLevel: "compatibility") restricts the API to a subset that maps onto older backends (OpenGL ES 3.1 / Direct3D 11). - Not yet Baseline — “does not work in some of the most widely-used browsers.”
Tier
T1 — MDN, the standard web-platform reference, mirroring the W3C WebGPU spec. Browser-support specifics are dated snapshots.